The Thrill of Spotting Potential TechWomen Emerging Leader Candidates in Rwanda

Guest post by Evelyn Teo, Cultural Mentor

In early February of this year, I had the honor of traveling on the TechWomen Delegation Trip to Rwanda. Our main goal was to encourage women and girls to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The trips also provide opportunities to explore the STEM ecosystem of each country and create awareness about the TechWomen program, while reconnecting Emerging Leaders and Mentors at the same time.

With Information Communication Technology (ICT) as the building block to supporting the Six Pillars of Rwanda Vision 2020^[1] goals, the country is booming with dreams and opportunities, especially for the tech-minded young generation. In addition, the country also aspires to position itself as the high-tech hub for East and Central Africa. As delegation members, we get unique, first-hand insights into the ICT landscape of Rwanda.

For me, the highlight of the TechWomen delegation trip was our visit to kLab^[2] (knowledge Lab) – Rwanda’s first techpreneur innovation open space in Kigali. Why? I met many young women who would thrive from the TechWomen program.

On the day of TechWomen’s visit, kLab had organized a Ladies’ Speed Geek Session. For those who have not heard of the term, “speed geeking” is a process where each presenter gets 5 minutes to pitch an idea and answer questions to a group of audience (typically a circle of 6 – 7 people per table). The presenter will move from one table to the next table, until every table in the room gets to hear the pitch.

As the ladies came to join us at the table, the first thing that caught my attention were the “geeky” stickers on their laptops, such as the GitHub mascot Octocat, “I AM A CODE GIRL” slogan, and an icon of the Africa continent as code argument inside { } symbols (see photos below—of course I had to snap a photo or two!). I felt little fireworks inside me, and I said to myself, “Wow! These ladies would be great potential TechWomen candidates!”, while also trying to remain calm and contained for the session.

My excitement grew into a constant adrenaline rush as the ladies began to pitch to us. We, the TechWomen delegates at the table, were so eager to make the most out of that 5-minute window to help the ladies with their ideas, so much so that we ended up standing around the presenter, instead of staying seated. The whole time I was listening to the pitches from these ladies the names of people I know in the Silicon Valley kept popping up. I was connecting the dots in my head – “I know this lady in company X who is an expert in this field and she will be an excellent mentor to her!” I am sure I am not the only TechWomen delegate who felt this way.

I was very impressed by how each presenter was able to identify everyday challenges and turn them into opportunities to apply technology as solutions. One memorable pitch: a lady designed a mobile app which integrated a payment solution for a common public transport in Kigali called “Moto” (a motorcycle taxi). The goal is to let users locate and pay for their Moto ride via their mobile phones. Since smart phones are still a luxury, we suggested the use of SMS service in feature phones to reach a wider population.

At the end of the session, I approached a young entrepreneur and learned that she is an experienced software engineer, who received her Bachelor’s degree from Kigali Institute of Technology (KIST^[3]), and that she will also be the first batch of graduates from Carnegie Mellon University – Rwanda^[4] (CMU-R) this year. She is also active in many Girls in ICT initiatives. I was blown away. She really has what it takes to be a TechWomen Emerging Leader. I saw her several times during the trip in our visits to Gashora Girls Academy^[5], KIST, and CMU-R. I witnessed how she engaged the Gashora secondary school girls in pursuing their interests in tech fields. I know I sounded like a broken record, but I kept telling her, “You should really apply to the TechWomen program this year!” I met many outstanding women like her during our trip, and they left a deep impression on me.

The TechWomen program just announced the 2014 selected participants, and I was thrilled to see that this talented young woman not only applied but was also selected as an Emerging Leader. This experience on the Delegation Trip Rwanda trip was truly inspiring. I can’t wait to meet the next class of amazing Emerging Leaders this fall!